章 516: 26
Chapter 26 - Katze Plains.
Royal tent amidst the Re-Estize armies trying to get into formations was just as busy. Zanac, Raeven, and Boullope looked over the map on the table. With the largest army ever assembled by the Re-Estize, even getting troops in position was a challenge.
Officers and scouts run in and out of the tent, constantly receiving orders and reporting observations. Nobles squabbling about the position of their personal troops were getting louder and louder. It was clear that among them, the grim reality still hadn't set in.
In their rush for glory, most didn't even consider the consequences of possible defeat. Nazarick was a wild card, but a belief that they would overwhelm the monsters with numbers was a norm. Baharuth's legions didn't stand a chance against their armies.
One scout was scout peaking out of the tent and using distance viewer to announce movements of the enemy.
"Still no signs of Nazarick's army, your highness."
"Four imperial legions and no Nazarick's forces. What are they planning? Where are the scouts' reports?" Boullope rages.
His patience was at the limit. The empire that defeated the king's army without effort was not even present on the battlefield. The carelessness of his peers made him even angrier. As a seasoned commander and warrior, he knew well enough to not underestimate the enemy, especially one as Nazarick with their godlike leaders.
"They likely will teleport armies in at the last moment, as they did with King Barbo's attack on their lands," Raeven says.
Troops teleported in. That was a scary thought. Boullope does an involuntary shudder. The largest army amassed in Re-Estize history with over three hundred thousand soldiers, and even that didn't give confidence in victory. The only hope was that his elite troop were strong enough to reach the leaders and eliminate them. No matter how strong they were, or whatever they claimed to be, a sword through skull kills either way.
"Your highness, a dragon circling high in the sky," another shout from a scout.
"A dragon! Is the Argland Council state getting involved too?" Zanac asks to no one in particular.
"They are likely just observing, your highness," Raeven says.
"Let's hope they chose not to get involved. The last thing we need is a dragon on the battlefield," Zanac says.
"Agreed, more beasts on the field just makes it worse for us," Boullope chips in.
That is what he missed, more complications. As if the situation wasn't stressful enough already. Now there was a dragon in the mix. Zanac had no illusion that even if the smallest detail goes wrong, it will be his head that will roll.
His 'gift' was lurking around invisible and Zanac knew without a doubt she will be the one to drag him hell if things go south.
With a tired sigh, he looks around. Most of the nobles present in the tent will not make it back alive. Renner didn't bother to give him a full list, but he knew well enough on his own who among them were goners. In addition, she even sent her pets to protect him. Climb, Gazef, and Brain, his sister's personal guard. A pointless show, nothing more. Even the two legendary warriors did not stand a chance against whatever Nazarick was prepared, not to mention the Renner's toy in the shining armor.
Zanac suppresses the desire to shout at them, to call them all morons for going through this. The self-assured nobles didn't even realize that they will be targeted first. The complacency had made them ignorant and overly reliant on their status. Even the noble title ultimately meant nothing to the opponent. In the eyes of the monstrous rulers of Nazarick, all humans were but the ants either subjugated or squashed.
{ You seem worried, my King? }
With all the frantic last-minute planning, he had forgotten about the still-active message spell with Zalarta. Her tone seemed worried as well. Zanac still didn't fully know what to think of her. From one side she seemed caring and masterfully could take all his worries away even if just for a moment, but from the other she was a demon, a monster in service of one of the more dreaded Lords.
{ There is a dragon in the sky. I assume it's not one of Nazarick's. }
A silence. For about a minute, there was no response from his personal succubus. Why she was silent? Was this already so bad it was the end for him? His inner panic slowly rose and keeping a neutral expression was hard.
{ Do not worry my King, Lord Demiurge assures the dragon is not a concern. Everything will proceed according to the plan. Your efforts are noticed. }
{ I hope so. Thank you for assuring me. }
"My king, Nazarick is making a move. An elf identified as Grand Marshal Bukuma appeared. Next to her stands an undead. By the descriptions, it's likely Emperor Ainz himself." One of the scouts runs in and reports.
"It is beginning! everyone complete preparations. Nazarick is finally on the move." Zanac says.
He picks up his plate helmet and walks outside, followed by the rest of the nobles.
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General Carvin stands outside the base within the Imperial Castrum, the main fort guarding the border with the Re-Estize. Usually, it was just his legion that occupied the impressive fort, but as the yearly war was around the corner, additional three more legions were under his command.
The middle-aged, light-haired man had earned his position solely through his ability to command. The young emperor would not let someone lead his armies purely based on status, after all.
The last few years, the skirmishes between Baharuth and Re-Estize were relatively easy to manage and Carvin had earned nothing but praise. This year, however, it is a joint endeavor and he will work alongside the army of another empire.
Any moment now, the new allies of the Baharuth Empire would show up. All four legions were in position, but there was still no sign of their forces. Emperor Jircniv had warned him that Nazarick could deploy armies rapidly by using magic, but it sounded rather outlandish.
Scouts reported that Re-Estize had almost positioned their armies. The largest army that was ever sent against Baharuth. His legions were much better trained and organized than the mostly peasant army of Re-Estize but numbers still were overwhelming and if Nazarick backstabs them and doesn't take part it will be a defensive battle until Fluder and his students can be deployed and even the field.
A sudden gasp at his back meant that Allies were arriving. Carvin turns and sees a black void appearing out of nowhere. Even with his emperor's warning of what to expect, he didn't feel prepared for what will step through it. For a soldier and a military leader, showing emotion in a moment like this would put his beloved home in an unpleasant light. A general should be professional, even staring in the face of death.
The first figure appears through the portal. An elven woman in dark plate armor with red accents. Her beauty was enticing, to say the least. Luckily, most of the soldiers were wearing helmets and their stares were hidden. It made sense that Baharuth Empire was rapidly gathering all the Elven slaves for a handover to Nazarick if their military commander was one of them.
Right after, the elf and undead in a dark robe step through the void. Carving gulps and does his best to keep a neutral face. As elf was enticing, the undead induced fear as he had never felt before. The Emperor of Nazarick was as terrifying as they described him.
Carvin salutes two figures and says.
"Emperor Ainz Ooal Gown, Grand Marshal Bukuma Ooal Gown, I welcome you both to Imperial Castrum. My troops are prepared and await your signal."
"General Carvin, thank you for the welcome. We will deploy our armies on short notice." Ainz says.
Both he and Bukuma take a casual stride towards the fort gates. It will be one of Ainz's new spells that will start the show for the world to see. General Carvin walks right behind them. He needed to see what Nazarick will deploy to coordinate the attack.
Once outside the gate, Bukuma takes a few steps aside to not interfere with Ainz casting a spell. Carvin takes a few steps back as well, just in case. He sure as hell didn't want to get in the middle of whatever was going to happen.
This was the first time Ainz would truly show his power to the world and, despite his undead nature, a slight stage fright gave him pause for a moment. Casting his worries aside, he starts with activating his aura of despair in a specific area. He found it critical to learn to control his aura precisely. Letting it out unrestricted would likely kill most of Baharuth's legions.
Next came the casting of the new spell, unimaginatively called 'mass undead summoning', a twelfth tier summoning spell. Combined with the usage of aura of despair, it should give Ainz an unprecedented amount of summons.
The moment he starts the spell, the intricate spell circles rotating around him put the super tier cast to shame. A beam of light hits the sky, drawing in dark clouds as an ominous sign of what is about to come.
In an area about a kilometer in radius in front of Ainz, all vegetation suddenly dies and undead, thousands of them pop up. First skeletons and all kinds of zombies, then liches show up. More and more of the undead appear with progressively higher tier ones joining the weaker hordes. The final ones are a few doom lords, elemental skulls, and eternal deaths. When the spell finishes, there are about eighty thousand strong undead army present.
The conclusion is rather simple if he could make an eighty thousand strong army with twelfth tier spell then maxed out one will give an even larger and more powerful army and counting his mana reserves Ainz could cast such spell more than once a day essential having an ability to create unstoppable undead horde within a short time period.
Satisfied with the results, Ainz opens the gate for the Death Emperor Ardagh to arrive.
The plate-covered, light-absorbing undead shows up moments later and kneels before his summoner.
"Army is ready for you. Show them the might of Nazarick."
"I will crush anyone opposing you, my Emperor."
Satisfied with the results, Ainz nods at Buku to deploy the rest of the forces. By the noticeable panic in opposing forces, it was clear they were ready to run without a fight. With one of his prime summons ready to lead the undead army, all that remains for him to do is to give order to the other one.
{ Eleleth, it is time! }
High above him in the sky, the shining angel appears. The dark sky that he caused mere moments ago with his summons clears up instantly. Thousands of angels of all kinds show up around their leader and form four distinct groups. The five angel legions, Eleleth commands. The duality of the two armies is unmistakable. As the dark army stands on the ground, instilling hopelessness and misery in anyone observing it, the army of light hovers above, instilling a radiant hope.
{ We are ready to cleanse the unworthy, my Emperor! }
Meanwhile, the rest of Nazarick's forces arrive through gates one by one. First comes Cocytus with the goblin, ogre, and lizardmen forces. Zenberu walks beside him carrying the Nazarick's flag, beaming with pride. However, the sight of the undead and angel legions gives pause even to him.
The next one to arrive is Kato and the primary force of the Beastmen Country. Once he thought his army unstoppable but now armed with the knowledge of the true power, his masters possess his pride and arrogance were all but gone. Around twenty thousand of his best warriors will fight in the name of Nazarick. Right after stepping through the gate, Kato observes the battlefield. The army of opponents seems endless, but they were just humans, an armed, walking food source, and nothing more.
The mighty tiger-man turns his gaze to the allied forces next. From the plan he read, he knew the Emperor summoned the massive undead army on the spot himself. The Grand Marshal herself was terrifying enough, but remembering the unfathomable power the Emperor radiated with his mere presence makes his knees weak. The pathetic human kingdom stood no chance.
Right beside him arrives the goblin army, led by a human girl. From what he knew, they gave her position because she was able to summon her army from a simple, magical item. Once he would consider her and goblins just a food too, but now things were so mixed up that he couldn't rely on his old instincts anymore.
Enri, on the other hand, was so nervous that it seemed her horse was shaking with her. The surrounding red-cap personal guard gave her a sense of safety, but it didn't take away the dread of ordering her army to slaughter simple folk dragged in this war. How many families will lose their sons, fathers, brothers, husbands? War was an ugly thing no matter how you look at it.
Last to arrive were the various special units and additional forces. The overly eager Peros' chosen who radiated frenzied anticipation. The casters and the created magical beasts of Tabula. And Ulbert's demon army.
Finally, Zesshi steps out of the portal right beside her mistress, beaming with pride. Her armor carried the symbol of the Grand Marshal. As for now, she was the only one with such honor. Lady Bukuma's chosen, the Apostle of War.
With all forces finally gathered, Ainz sends a message to Bukuma.
{ Everyone is here. You may start. }
Bukuma nods and walks up to General Carvin. After a brief exchange, where it is clear the man is doing his best to keep composure, Bukuma sends a message to her subordinates.
{ You have your orders. It is time to carry them out. Begin! }
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Nazarick was finally on the move. It wasn't a long wait until the Emperor of Nazarick himself, Ainz Ooal Gown, appeared outside the enemy fortress. Each of the nobles possessed the magical device called the distant observer. None of them knew how it worked, but because of the high utility, everyone having enough money had purchased one from the Magicians' guild.
The Two figures were identified right away. Emperor Ainz and Grand Marshal Bukuma. The sudden appearance of the rotating magical circles around the dreaded Emperor of Nazarick made the crowd hold their breath. The dark light shooting from it darkened the sky. And then it began, undead, thousands of them appeared.
"That can't be real!" Marquis Pespea gasps. One of the youngest great nobles shakes lightly. Unlike many of his peers, he had rather extensive knowledge of various monsters and beasts, and the sight of legendary undead appearing one after another sent him into a panic attack. "That can't be real."
"Pespea, what are you on about?" Marquis Boullope asks in annoyance. For him, the sight was just as unreal, but a horde of undead didn't sound that dangerous against a trained soldier. If it was all Nazarick plans to use, there was still a large chance of victory.
"Those are legendary undead. Only Orichalcum and Adamantite teams can take those monsters down!" Pespea exclaims, pointing at the growing horde in the distance.
"Stop being a coward, they are just undead," Boullope says and continues observing the scene. Losing resolve now would only bring defeat before the battle had even started.
The dark sky above the plains gave the impression of an ill omen. When the clouds suddenly disperse and a shining figure appears in the sky, a shared a sigh of relief is heard. An army of winger creatures known as angels fills the sky above the undead hordes. For a moment, the human army of Re-Estize looks at them with renewed hope. But when the angelic army remains in the sky, uncaring about the monsters on the ground, an unease grows even stronger.
"They have angels," Raeven says quietly. So this is what it meant when Renner called the Emperor of Nazarick the God of Life and Death. Both armies were his. This was the might just one of them possessed.
More and more panic rose among the nobles. The armies of beastmen, goblins, demons. Hordes upon hordes of monstrosities showed up. They already rivaled the Re-Estize army in numbers. Zanac audibly gulps and announces.
"Enemy has shown its forces. It is now or never. We either stand and fight or submit to them."
Silence. No one among the highborn was saying anything. Their arrogance was all but gone and the more primal feeling of fear dominated their minds. The monstrous armies could be unleashed upon them at the moment's notice and nothing could stop it. All the money, all the ambition, meant nothing if they slew you in the same field with commoners.
Zanac takes the silence as an agreement and shouts,
"Men, take your positions, be ready for their advance."
With nobles leaving to take charge of their own units, Zanac could only stare in silence at the army of his masters. They promised him a reward, a position of power in the new empire, but to see the price humanity will pay at this moment seemed too heavy to bear.
When last of the nobles sounded the 'ready' signal, the enemy army moved. With Reaven being in charge of the royal army, Zanac was left to observe the battle. He takes the distant viewer to his right eye and witnesses the first clash. Boullope forces engage the undead. Predictably, humans dropped like flies overwhelmed by a much stronger force.
Other Re-Estize forces get disorganized almost immediately. Zanac turns attention to one of the armies closer to his position and catches a teleporting assassin in the act of decapitating the noble leading it. Lord Peros' chosen. His sister had told about them with glee. Killers like no other. Fanatics, worshiping the God of Murder.
There was one group that instilled even greater fear in him. Angels, the beings of light, laid waste with gentle, uncaring expressions on their beautiful faces. Once in childhood, he believed them to be messengers of gods when he attended the sermons dedicated to the God of Light. Somehow, that naïve hope of the divine protectors still lingered deep inside him, but even that was crushed by witnessing the atrocities on the battlefield. Nothing would save him if he ever angered one of the five dark gods.
Many detachments were already on a hysterical retreat, with no leadership. The beastmen forces tears into the peasant armies with animalistic brutality. Zanac could hear the screams even from the distance. With a sigh, he turns his attention elsewhere. Even if he wanted to, he could only sound the retreat when the Grand Marshal gives him the order.
Another figure catches his attention. A young Elven woman with a large scythe plowing through soldiers like grass. There was next to no expression on her youthful face. She was killing humans with no emotion. He didn't know who she was, but the casual, uncaring brutality performed by her assured Zanac that he didn't even want to know.
"My king, the battle is lost. We must retreat!" Marquis Pespea shouts.
Zanac turns to see the young noble, his brother-in-law, white as snow and shaking on his horse. What little remains of his force are desperately holding off a demonic horde. Before Zanac could come up with an answer, a figure teleports in besides Pespea and with a jump jams a sword in his throat.
Brain flashes past him, charging the attacker while Gazef and Climb stand at his sides, covering every angle of a possible incoming attack. They took it as an actual threat, but Zanac knew better. It was just a show. A demonstration that he isn't safe anywhere.
The attacking assassin teleports away just before Brain's sword reaches him. Marquis Pespea falls off the horse and bleeds out before anyone can help him.
Zanac desperately wants to sound the retreat to save at least someone, but he knew better to do so. Mercifully, a minute later the order comes.
{ You can sound the retreat. We have accomplished all our goals. }
"SOUND A RETREAT, BATTLE IS LOST!" Zanac shouts.
The enemy armies were already enclosing in his position and were the majority of survivors were in fleeing in panic, anyway. All that remained was for him to run and deal with the aftermath.
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Enri did her best to not fall off the giant wolf she was riding and vomit from the overwhelming anxiety. The beastmen force right beside her army didn't help the situation either. She had dealt with various beastmen before, but their murderous anticipation was off-putting.
The sudden order from Grand Marshal to start brings her back to the present moment. She turns to her advisor,
the Goblin Strategist, and says with voice breaking.
"We can start."
"Honorable General Enri has given order. Begin the attack!"
They pitted her goblin army against the forces of a minor noble. Her role on the battlefield was inconsequential but Grand Marshal still expected her to show what her goblins were capable of. Luckily Goblin Strategist was doing all the fieldwork and commanding various units with mathematical precision.
It didn't take long to achieve an overwhelming victory and surround the opponent. The Noble raises a flag to show his surrender. What now? Was she supposed to just execute everyone? There was no such order. The plan given by Lady Bukuma only instructed to defeat the opponent.
Enri takes a long breath and tries to calm down. If she would squeak out orders to the enemy, no one would take her seriously. Another long breath and she finally found resolve.
"Drop your weapons!" She shouts, trying to sound intimidating.
To her surprise, soldiers actually drop their weapons and get on their knees. She keeps looking at them with a stern expression and internally panics. Maybe Grand Marshal would not be too mad if she asked for advice. Nfirea taught her how to use message after all so she could communicate with her superiors herself.
{ Lady Bukuma, we captured the enemy. What should I do with them? }
{ Execute officers and nobles. We will deal with the rest later. Good job Enri. }
{ Thank you, Lady Bukuma. }
Execute nobles and officers.
'You can do it Enri. Just give the order. It will be quick. I can do it!'
"Execute nobles and officers. Spare the rest for now."
Hearing her order the noble shouts.
"Wait, you can't just…" One of red-caps strike him down before he could even finish the sentence. Her personal guard quickly and efficiently carries out her order without mercy.
She ordered an execution. Her command killed people. Enri does her very best to not vomit at the sight of the dead bodies she caused. What was worst about the whole situation she knew she will need to get used to it. No one will let her step down from the position of a general.
Her first battle was a success, but all she wants to do was get home and scream in the pillow for an hour or two.
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Ninya trembles with anticipation. And this time, it was not for her God's buff. Today is the day she will get revenge on the piece of shit that raped and took her sister away. The bastard noble that tore her family apart. Lord Peros was kind enough to let her and her team go for personal revenge.
She already knew where the bastard was. One of the minor nobles on the Noble faction's side. It wasn't a critical target, but gods still approved his execution. Few more long and grueling minutes to wait.
Finally, the beginning of the battle was sounded. She coordinates with her team and teleports near her target. Peter cuts down first the closest bodyguards with ease while Dyne restrains others with roots.
Ninya quickly changes her form to a brain eater. She was not about to give a quick and painless death to a man that had caused so much pain to her and Tuare.
Lakrut tosses a younger noble at her feet. The eldest son of Baron Cheneko. Peter had restrained the Baron himself and turned the man's face towards her.
"Wait, we are nobles. We have value. Take us for ransom." Cheneko shouts.
"You, piece of shit, have no value," Ninya growls and activates the nightmare aura. Hers was very weak compared to Lord Tabula's, but it was still enough. The young noble at her feet screams and tears off his own skin and clothing to get off the bugs that aren't there.
"Please stop, I give you anything. STOP!"
"You stole my sister, you raped her!" Ninya shouts back in anger.
The young man was bleeding out while still screaming and tearing skin and pieces of flesh from his bleeding body. Baron Cheneko vomits and continues begging for her to stop. Ninya could never have imagined that revenge would feel so sweet. She took away something from a man she despised the most. He will die knowing his son paid the price for his actions.
"Now it's your turn."
"Wait, wait, I will give you anything. Spare me."
Peter tosses Baron to the ground next to his son as Ninya activates her aura once again. Same effect. Cheneko tears of clothing and skin screaming. She could almost drink the pain and fear the despicable men felt. Her Brain Eater form made the revenge feel that much better. None helped him. The peasant army just watches in both horror and relief. A man like that could not instill any loyalty in his own troops.
Once the baron expires, she kicks the mutilated corpse one last time and teleports away with his team, leaving the now leaderless force to its own fate.
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Boullope didn't expect easy victory, but at the same time, he also didn't expect his elite troop to be torn apart so easily.
'Damn those monsters. I was so close to making my family the next royals.'
The sensible course was to sound the retreat and flee the battlefield. His reputation would be gravely damaged, but it was still more preferable compared to death at the hands of the undead.
"RETREAT!" Boullope shouts and turns his horse around.
"Going somewhere?" A feminine voice asks.
A blonde furred beast has appeared out of nowhere.
"Kill it!"
His personal guard move to eliminate the threat with practiced coordinated movements. It should not take long. There was no time to spare, after all. A sudden scream from the two men closest to the monster gives him a rude awakening. In mere seconds beast tears apart his entire guard retinue with her clawed paws.
This was it. This is where he will die. If anything, Boullope intended to die fighting, as a warrior should. He dismounts and takes out his sword. The speed at which the beast tore apart fully armored man showed that even the thick plate armor he wore would not protect him. The enchants were useful, but they didn't make him invincible.
The beast makes a toothy grin and charges. Boullope swings at the beast, but his attack is easily avoided. Pair of sharp-clawed hands dig into his shoulders, tearing through the armor.
Pain, such intense pain. He was not about to give satisfaction to this monster and show his pain. His sword falls to the ground. The monster had masterfully taken out both of his hands, making him defenseless. Boullope grits his teeth and tries to kick the beast.
"My, my, you are a tough one. Fighting till the end. I can almost respect that. Don't worry, I will break you either way."
"Go to hell." Boullope spits in the beast's direction.
"You know we are keeping your king with pigs. He already knows how to oink properly." Beast says with a burst of laughter.
This bitch was taunting him. Boullope tries to kick her again with no success. She avoids the kick with ease and digs her claws into his legs. With no working hands to ease his fall, he hits the grassy field face first and lets out a groan.
Pain is slowly overtaking him. Could he have avoided this fate? This ambition to take over Re-Estize, his greed, and arrogance lead him to his fate. If only he were more careful. If only he would look past his status and see that signs of times changing were there all along.
Best grabs his hair and turns him around. Undead marching past was all that he could see. His army was likely dead already. He was alone among the enemy he underestimated.
"Finish it!"
"Oh, don't be so eager to die. We can have so much more fun."
Clementine smirks at the helpless noble she was tasked to kill. He was not breaking, but he would soon. She crouches down and grabs Boullope by the neck to hold his face still. Slowly, she moves a nail close to his eye. Slowly, it penetrates his eyeball. The noble finally screams. Such a wonderful sound.
{ Clementine, stop fucking around and finish him! }
Her God was angry at her for playing around again. This was bad.
{ L-Lord Peros, I'm sorry. I'll do it right away. }
She quickly crushes the neck of the screaming noble and stands up. This was bad. She got carried away.
{ I'm sorry Lord Peros. Please punish the sinner, please let me atone. }
{ Just go on to the next target and don't play around. You can torture prisoners in your free time. }
{ Right away Lord Peros! }
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Tsar and Rigrit reached the Katze plains at a dawn. A vast fortress stood ominously in the middle of the cursed lands. It was not a hard guess who were the owners of it. Even from the great distance above the clouds, the countless undead gave an impression of an organized army.
There was no point investigating closer for now, as it would likely just invoke the ire from Nazarick. Both silently came to the same conclusion to ignore it for now as Tsar was flying closer to the battlefield.
Once Tsar reached the destination and started circling the fields high in the sky, they could see the Re-Estize army and Baharuth legions positioned already but no Nazarick forces.
{ Hmm, no Nazarick forces in sight. What is your opinion, Rigrit? }
{ My guess is they will use a gate to bring their armies to the field. }
Tsar nods and continues circling the field.
{ Miss Rigrit, mind explaining your presence here? } The all too familiar voice of Ulbert sounds in her mind.
{ We are here just to observe. We will not interfere. }
{ In that case, enjoy the show. }
{ Tsar, they know we are here. No matter what happens we are not getting in the middle of this, ok? } Rigrit says.
{ We will not interfere. Too much is at stake to worry about the short-lived races. }
The wait wasn't too long, and finally, first Nazarick's representatives appeared. What was likely Ainz Ooal Gown himself walked out of the Baharuth owned fortress. The sudden beam from the spell cast darkening the sky was something even Rigrit didn't expect.
{ Rigrit, what is he casting? }
{ I… I do not know, even super tier doesn't look like that. }
{ That clearly isn't wild magic. That must be from Yggdrasil. }
Rigrit silently observes the dark beam and then it clicks,
{ It must be a new spell they have created, something even beyond what was available in Yggdrasil. }
Both could only stare in silence as the impossibly many undead pop up in an enclosed area. The shocking power of a single spell made Rigrit shudder. Ainz Ooal Gown was a necromancer on a different level compared to her. There were even a few undead tiers above what she could even summon.
{ This is not possible, Rigrit, that player summoned an army of undead with a single spell. Even Cure Elim needed almost a decade to amass such an undead army. }
Next came the angels, beastmen, demons. Army after army. The monster force big enough to crush the entire continent with ease. And then the army was unleashed on the humans from Re-Estize. It wasn't a battle, but a one-sided massacre.
Rigrit uses distance view spells to look closer and the first thing catching her attention is teleporting assassins, taking out the nobles and officers. The one-sided battle quickly turns into a bloodbath as the disorganized human forces try to run without success.
{ Rigrit, this is getting out of hand. We need to stop this bloodshed. It will awaken things from the deep. Tell them. }
Rigrit quickly and desperately sends a frantic message to Ulbert. She didn't know what Tsar meant with the things from the deep, but his concern was dire enough.
{ Ulbert, Nazarick has to stop! That bloodshed will awaken, what my friend calls, things from the deep. }
After a moment of silence, there is a calm response.
{ Don't worry, we solved that problem beforehand. The Great Old One is getting nothing out of this. Just sit back and enjoy the show. }
The response was confusing, but there was not much else to do. Even if she and Tsar would go all out, there was no hope of stopping the monstrous army.
{ Tsar, they claim that have solved the problem and The Great Old One is getting nothing out of the bloodshed! }
{ I hope they are right. Still so much death, such mindless slaughter. }
Rigrit watches in silence as the fields below get red with all the blood spilled. Was this a mindless, brutal showing of power? There was something off about it. Some forces were holding back. Some of Re-Estize were clearly allowed to escape while they mercilessly cut others down. It almost looked staged.
It was staged! When she looked at the things analytically without emotions clouding her mind, she could see clearly that the battle was planned meticulously. These were the same people from the Ainz Ooal Gown she remembered. It always went beyond simple planning. They intentionally let some forces escape. Their teleporting assassins didn't touch certain nobles.
{ Tsar, this isn't mindless slaughter. It is so much worse. You can see it as well, don't you? }
{ Yes. I can see why you were so wary of them. This looks much more precise and organized than the almost mindless brutality of the Greed Kings. These players are so much more dangerous than the ones that almost wiped out my kind. We must tread carefully around them. }
The battle raged a little longer. Those who were permitted to flee were far enough already. Many gates opened below and the human corpses were picked up and delivered somewhere. Parts of Nazarick's army returned to orderly rows and marched towards E-Rantel.
Part of Rigrit wanted to get there before and warm people to flee, but what good it would do. If Nazarick intended to conquer the world, they would be under the monstrous empire's boot eventually, anyway. She silently nods at Tsar who shared her sentiment. There was nothing left for them to see here. It was time to leave.
Bonus Story - Watching the Show.
Renner sat in a very comfy chair that could spin around. Another marvelous thing in the home of her masters. Lupus was spinning in hers with a happy squeal, making Renner dizzy from the sight alone.
"Lupusregina, behave in front of a guest!" The stern voice of one called Yuri Alpha interrupted the carefree maid's spinning.
"She is almost one of our own now. Didn't you hear? Lord Ulbert even commissioned room for Renner."
"It is still no excuse for misbehavior."
Lupus slouches down and shoves fist full of food she called popcorn in her mouth. The carefree attitude and general honest friendliness is something Renner was not experienced before. She eyes each maid to figure out the best course of action. They were part of Nazarick, her future home. In the best-case scenario, she would be considered the same rank as them, which likely will not even be the case at first.
They were a perfect opportunity to observe denizens whose rank she could reach. There didn't exist a possibility where he could become equal to a floor guardian, but achieving a rank just a step below was workable.
Renner, just as everyone else, was given a mirror of remote viewing and could freely observe parts of battle she wanted. The Pleiades, who called each other a sister despite looking rather different, watched their own mirrors just as intently as she did.
Emperor Ainz Ooal Gown was about to perform a spell. This was a moment that she would see the might of a true God. She was not disappointed. Even the sky above responded to the immense power of the spell the God of Life and Death cast. To see the entire army formed with a single spell. The world didn't stand a chance against him alone.
There was a sudden realization. They didn't need her long and complicated plan to get her country, or any other, for that matter. Her efforts were nothing but amusing in face of such power. If she failed in her planning, nothing would be changed in their plans. Renner would probably end up in the happy farm and world conquest would go on unimpeded.
The glee and childlike wonder in the eyes of the maids clearly showed that despite them being directly created by gods, they were just as amazed at the spectacle.
Once everyone was summoned, the battle began. Predictably, it was a one-sided massacre. Solution even drooled a bit while looking at the bloodshed. Comments from Lupus made her giggle from time to time. Her sadism was so amusing.
"Are you enjoying the fruits of your effort, miss Renner?"
Yuri asks, looking in her mirror with a neutral expression. Renner guessed she was not as bloodthirsty as Lupus by the barely noticeable disdain for the scene in front of her. It was very clear she was hiding it as much as she could, even from her own sisters.
"I'm but a small part of the greater plan, miss Yuri. I can't dare to take credit away from the Supreme Ones."
Yuri just nods but there was a minuscule expression of satisfaction. As always, when in doubt, praise the gods.
Renner returns attention to the battle. It should be over soon. Luckily, she caught the moment when an assassin killed one of her brothers-in-law. It was a shame she would not see the face of her eldest sister when she will be informed about the death of her husband.
Her time will come too and Renner didn't plan to give quick and painless deaths to her sisters. They will pay just like the rest of her family. Only Zanac was smart enough to never get under her bad side. Her daydream of what she would inflict on her siblings is cut off when Yuri announces that the battle is over.
Renner stands up and says goodbye to Pleiades sisters with a bow. As enjoyable as the distraction was, it was time to return to Re-Estize and resume her role as a princess.
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